Electrical connecter



Sept. 1, 1925. 1,552,154

J HATFIELD ELECTRICAL. CONNECTER Filed April 13, 1921 I INVENTOR jalm Hatfield noreuavs Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

4 UNITED s'ra'rizs PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTER.

Application filed April 13, 1921. Serial No. 460,984.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN HATFIELD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and.

useful Improvements in Electrical Connecters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a connecter for electrical conductors and more particularly to a connecter adapted to be affixed to a terminal such as a cord or battery terminal, and has special reference to the provision of a connecter of this character adapted to be manipulated with rapidity and facility to resiliently engage and firmly clamp a conductor connected thereto. I

The principal object of my present invention is the provision of a connecter of the type referred to in' which oppositely disposed members are adapted to be grasped by the fingers of an operator to place the same under tension, the members being provided with means brought into registration when the members are placed under tension to form a conductor receiving channel, the members being adapted to resiliently clasp therebetween a conductor inserted in the channel. Connecters of this type usually embody means forming part of the connecter, such means being adapted to be afiixed to a terminal such as a cord or bat-- tery terminal, for example, such means being aflixed to the terminal as by being soldered. or otherwise connectedthereto to provide an effective mechanical and electrical connection between the parts.

prime desideratum of my present invention includes the provision of a resilient or spring connecter of this nature so constructed that the tension operative on the oppositely disposed members is made independent of the means connected to the cord or other terminal. I have found that by conover, removed from that portion of the connecter which is soldered or otherwise connected to a terminal, this making for an etiicient and durable resilient connecting device.

Another object of my invention involves the provision of a resilient or spring connecter which may be made from a blank of sheet material, such blank being sub- "To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the elements and their relation one to the other,-as hereinafter particularly described and sought to be defined in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show preferred embodiments of my invention and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view' of a cut out blank used in the making of my connecter,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the blank after a forming step,

Figures 3 and 4 are views of the finished connecter showing its manner of attachment to a cord terminal; Figure 3 showing the connector in inoperative position andFigure 4 showing the same in operative position engaging a conductor, 7

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the manner of attaching the connecter to a conductor.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, which show a preferred manner in which my connecter is made, I first provide sheet i'natcrial from which a blank 10 is stamped or out out to provide two parallel member- '11 and 12 connected at one end by an integral web 13. The member 11 is prcforal'ily provided with a reduced tongue portion 14. the member 12 being provided with a rn'eferaloly elongated slot 15 of a width slightly greater than the width of tongue 14- for a purpose that will appear hereinafter. The member 11 is provided at its end, oppositeto the web 13 with an enlarged head 16, the member 12 being provided with a head 17 of similar configuraable forming dies .into the configuration shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, such configuration being preferably sinuous or of wave contour or formation, each member being similar in contourto provide 'wave formations in opposite phase when member 11 is bent over along line H to form the ures 3 to 5 01:" the drawings comprises the now oppositely disposed members 11 and 12 connected by the web 13, which forms a sleeve or shank adapted for connection, for example, to a cord terminal 19, lead 20 be ing inserted through an aperture 21 provided in the blank 10, the said lead being preferably bent into hooked formation against an outer wall of the connecter, as shown in the figures, these parts being preferably soldered together as is usual, to pro vide an efiici'ent electrical contact as well as a secure mechanical connection. Members 11 and 12 of the set up connecter form opposed resilient arms with the tongue 14 of member 11 registering with recess 15 in member 12, the tongue being adapted to be received by the recess, as clearly shown in Figures 3 to 5 of the drawings. Members 11 and 12 are so curved during the forming step hereinbefore described as to provide opposed curved portions at the tongue 14 and recess 15 respectively, so that when the finger grips 16 and 17 are grasped between the fingers of an operator and placed under tension, as shown in Figure 5, a channel 22 will be efiected adapted for the reception of a conductor such as 23. Looked at from another aspect, a crest portion of the wave member 11 as provided by tongue 14 cooperates with a crest portion of the wave member 12 as provided by recessed portion -15 to form a conductor receiving channel 22.

I have found that the tension operative on members 11 and 12 may be considerably increased and the device made more durable by providing a spring or tension seat for members 11 and 12 closer to the channel 22 and removed from the shank portion 13. I have further found that by providing such a tension seat between the shank and channel I remove the tension stresses from the shank portion 13, this minimizing liability of loosening the connection between terminal 19 and the connecter walls, this minimizing the breaking of the solder joints when such parts are soldered. I have found that repeated manipulation of members 11 and 12 when no such displaced springseat is provided results in a loosening of the connection and a breaking of the solder joints between the terminal and connecter, movement of members 11 and 12 being transmitted to the point of connection between the connecter and terminal with the resulting liability of loosening or breaking of these parts. To the end of eliminating this defect and to provide a more eflicient resilient connecter, I so form members 11 and 12 into a sinuous or wave configuration as to provide a crest portion 24 of member 11 adapted to abut a crest portion 25 of member 12, these abutting portions forming a spring seat or pivot about which members 11 and 12 rotate when finger grips l6 and 17 are manipulated by an operator. The spring seat provided by the portions 2 1 and 25 being positioned between shank 13 and channel 22 provides a small radius of swing for members 11 and 12, this resulting in a greater tension or resiliency being imparted to the opposed members 11. and 12. This effect is enhanced for the reason that the tension seatis on a center line of contact between members 11 and 12 instead of being laterally disposed it the tension seat were provided at opposite sides of the shank 13. Furthermore, movement of members 11 and 12 takes place about such tension seat, the strains and stresses incident to movement of members 11 and 12 being transmitted and taken up at such tension seat, this relieving the shank 13-and the connection between the shank and cord terminal from substantially all movement and strain, minimizing the liability of breakage at these parts. Moreover, by providing a bowed portion between the tension seat and the channel 22 I am enabled to provide a channel adapted for large'diameter conductors. i

For the purpose of effectively receiving a threaded conductor as is usually provided on battery terminals, I provide terminal 14 with an inwardly directed depressed portion or teat 26, the said teat- 26 being intended to seat in a trough provided by the conductor threads, this constructionfirmly holding the connecter on the conductor.

The manner of making, constructing and using' my connecter will, in the main, be apparent from the above description thereof. It will be apparent that I have provided a connecter which may be formed from a suitable blank with a minimumiof manufacturing operations. the said connecter being adapted to be aitixed to a c0rd,

a connecter of wave configuration abutting.

portions to form a spring seat with the said abutting portions located between the shank portion of the connecter and the conductor receiving channel thereof, 1 secure a device in which increased tension is effective on the opposed members and the strains are so localized as to increase the efficiency and life of the connecter. It will further be appar-' ent that although I prefer to provide a connecter in which the members hav a curved configuration of sinuous formation, that this may be modified in many Ways as, for example, by having opposed members with angularly shaped cooperating portions accomplishing the same functions. In using the term Wave or curve or sinuous in the claims, I desire it to be understood that these are used in the broad sense as including angular or other shaped formations.

VVhileII hav shown my device in the preferredfiorm, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit 'of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim:

l. A terminal connecter, comprising opposed members connected at one end by an integral sleeve having its axis. substantially parallel with the length of the members, and through which an insulated conductor is adapted to extend, one of the members having a perforation adjacent the sleeve for engagement by the bared conductor, one

member slotted and the other shaped for a portion thereof to passthrough the slot when the members are pressed together at opposed cooperating abutments forthe purpose specified.

2. A terminal connecter comprising op-- posed members connected at one end by an integral sleeve having its axis substantially parallel with the length of the members, and

through which an insulated conductor is adapted to extend, one ofthe members having a perforation adjacent the sleeve for engagement by the bared conductor, one

member slotted and the other shaped for a portion thereof to pass through the slot when the members are pressed together at their free ends, thereby to form a grip between the members actuated to gripping position by the separation of the members, said members bent in opposite directions between the grip and their connection to formopposed cooperating abutments for the purpose specified, the free ends of the members provided with integral finger grips.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 12 dayof April A. D. 1921.

JOHN HATFIELD. 

